Formula E to promote sustainable engineering at schools

A partnership between Formula E and the Greenpower Education Trust promoting sustainable engineering to young people has been announced yesterday during a Formula E Global Launch event in London.

The project will see students from 10 local schools designing and building their own electric race car, which will then race on the full Formula E race track at five of the ten events, beginning in Buenos Aires on 10 January 2015.

With their experience mirroring that of the Formula E teams and drivers – from the starting grid to the podium – it’s hoped the initiative will inspire young people to embrace sustainable mobility as well as being a once-in-a-lifetime experience for the children.

The race will focus on the driver’s energy efficiency as well as speed, and each participating school will be given 200 free tickets to come and cheer on their fellow pupils as they search for the equilibrium between these two.

"Formula E is the most exciting motorsport innovation in a generation and could not only revolutionise the way people view the sport, but also greatly enhance the advances being made in the development of electric and sustainable automotive engineering,” said Jeremy Way, CEO of Greenpower.

“The values and objectives that underpin Formula E mirror exactly Greenpower’s own aims; we have been promoting the advancement of sustainable motoring and engineering in the UK's schools and universities for 16 years and we are delighted that we can now take our initiative on to a global stage."

The new project has been unveiled at a celebrity-packed gathering held in London’s Roundhouse on Monday evening, together with several other announcements including that of Battersea Park being selected as the venue of the London 2015 finale.

Formula E is the FIA’s new fully-electric single-seater championship designed to appeal to a new generation of motorsport fans, while accelerating the interest in electric vehicles and promoting sustainability. Competing entirely on city-centre circuits – with races in China, Malaysia, Uruguay, Argentina, US, Monaco, Germany and the UK – it uses cars capable of speeds in excess of 150mph (225km/h). Its 10 teams feature some of the leading international names in motorsport including Alain Prost and Michael Andretti, along with high-profile environmental supporters including Sir Richard Branson.

The first series of Formula E championship begins in less than three months with a race in Beijing. The pre-season testing will commence at Donington Park on 3 July, one of five test days open free of charge to the public.